Anyone Know Anything About Ovarian Cysts?

[REP]

I have them. A couple weeks ago, one had grown to 2.5 cm plus I had a brand new 2.5 cm, both on the left ovary. A few days ago I began having pretty intense bladder pain and urgency, but a lab test showed no infection. Repeated home tests show no infection (plus I never get bladder infections; only kidney infections). Can cysts on the ovary cause bladder pain? From what I've seen on the 'net, it's a possibility, but mine don't seem to be quite big enough.

My other guess is that I've passed a stone big enough to lacerate my bladder, though I'm only showing trace RBC on a dipstick test.

Don't need any info on cysts and fertility: I'm sterilized and have had an endometrial ablation, so any extra infertility is merely a blessing.

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. Talk to your doctor again.

No one but a medical professional should diagnose you. And good luck.

[REP]

2. It's Sunday and I Have a Dx

I even have sonograms of my cute l'il cysts. In the meantime, I just want to know if this sounds familiar to anyone else who has 'em.

[FloridaJudy]

8. It's uncommon NOT to have them.

Virtually every woman with at least one working ovary is going to get cysts at some point or other in her life.

When the ovary releases an egg, the follicle the egg burst from closes and forms a cyst, called the "corpus luteum". Should the egg be fertilized, the corpus luteum continues to secrete progesterone, which supports the uterine lining and the growing embryo. Should pregnancy *not* occur, the body sends the ovary the message "Oops! Better luck next time...", and the corpus luteum - usually - whithers away.

Every once in a a while, these cysts will persist even if the woman is not pregnant. Menses will be delayed, and the woman might experience some lower abdominal pain due to the growing cyst: such a condition is called a "persistent corpus luteum", and 99.99% of the time it's harmless, albeit uncomfortable. Just keeping an eye on the fool thing with ultrasound and clinical exams is all that's needed.

The tricky thing is that those symptoms are also typical of an ectopic pregnancy - a whopping surgical emergency that can cause a woman to bleed to death in hours if not diagnosed in time. Also - very rarely - these cysts can reach such an enormous size that they can twist and compromise the blood supply to the ovary, yet another surgical emergency.

It sounds very much as if your doctor is doing the right thing - carefully keeping an eye on your ultrasounds.

Generally speaking, the finding of small follicular cysts on an ultrasound is normal. Anything over 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) needs to be watched closely, and anything called a "complex cyst" deserves even closer investigation, since these can potentially be either ectopic pregnancies or (mostly) benign ovarian tumors.

There's also something called "Polycystic Ovarian Disorder", that's another thing entirely, as are cysts caused by endometriosis.

If you get a lot of cysts, and they are particularly painful, some practitioners will manage them by giving low-dose birth control pills, particularly the new ones that are taken continuously for three months. They tend to "quiet" the ovaries, so that they're much better behaved. If you're not a candidate for birth control pills - either because you're over thirty-five and smoke, or have some other serious medical condition, there's a drug called "depo-lupron" that does the same thing, but a woman would have to be in a *lot* of pain to put up with the side-effects of that (try "the Menopause from Hell". I did).

This is probably *way* more information than you wanted, but I couldn't help myself: this is how I make my living!

Write and let me know what happens. And if your doctor can give you a definate name for your diagnosis, I can steer you to some web-sites that can help you even more.

FloridaJudy - OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner

[REP]

11. But Can They Cause Bladder Pain?

I'm pretty sure it's either a stone or the cysts, but I'm sure it's not going to kill me.

[bearfan454]

3. My wife had that.

They gave her meds to try and disslove the cysts. Messy. Eventually she had to have a total hysterectomy. She takes hormones now. They help a lot, but it isn't like it was before if you know what I mean.

[elfin]

4. I had them for years

Usualy subsided after mense. Then got one that didn't subside - had to have ultrasound every 6 months to monitor to make sure it hadn't changed. Since I was past menopause, doc recommended to take both out since I really didn't need them anymore. He described them as "cancer sites waiting to happen."

Made me take blood test to see if I had marker for ovarian cancer when I said I didn't want to do it. Then I had a friend die from ovarian cancer which is so hard to detect and is usually found only AFTER any symptoms present - and then is too late. So I had it done - a simple, outpatient type procedure done laporostically (sp?).

Talk to your doc - it depends on your age and how much you want the estrogen they pump out, which diminishes as time goes by.

To monitor - do not go longer than 6 months between ultrasounds and get the blood test - if they turn nasty - it spreads fast.

If the doc doesn't want to be that frequent - find one who does.

[bfusco]

5. cysts

Your cysts are small but small cysts can become inflamed and aggravated causing a lot of pain. My wife has had them on and off for years, resulting in abdominal surgery to remove one and a laporoscopy to drain another. Her cysts are often accompinied by diffuse abdominal/GI symptoms, which is a result of the colornorgic response from the inflamation. Your cysts may be causing this bladder pain indirectly. The nervous system that inervates the GU system is also the same system that inervates the GI symptom, so diffuse symptoms beyond the cyst often occur. If you recently passed a stone that has lacerated your bladder there could still be inflammation that is causing pain even though only trace blood is present. I passed a monster stone that my urologist told me was equivalent to giving birth so I can relate to what that experience involves.

Oral contraceptives have greatly reduced the incidence of my wife's cysts. She can usually feel one when it develops and takes NSAIDS and is carefeul with physical activity that will aggravate inflamation. This usually brings it under control and the cyst resolves at the end of the cycle. Having your ovaries removed will put an end to the problem but this means menopause and hormone replacement therapy, which carries it's own risks. As a another poster mentioned, discuss any treatment options with your doctors before doing anyting.

[REP]

12. Of Course!

I didn't give my full medical history because who cares? But suffice it to say that if I tried BC Pills or NSAIDs, I'd be dead!

[catmandu57]

6. My wife had fibroids

I don't know how simular they are to ovarian cysts, she had heavy irregular periods and had to have a hysterectomy for the problem. I don't know if it will help you but we found much info at http://www.hystersister.com they may be able to answer your question there.

[MercutioATC]

7. My ex-wife had ovarian cysts.

They caused extreme pain. She had one ovary removed about 3 years before I met her, and a couple of bouts with cysts on the remaining ovary since (which necessitated surgery). I don't know what made the difference, but she's been trouble-free for the past five years, however.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

9. Having had both...

ovarian cysts and a kidney stone, I can say that they feel VERY different.

Have you had any back/flank pain in the last few weeks? Have you been drinking less water than you normally do? When I was passing a kidney stone I experiences symptoms very much like you describe -- intense bladder pain and urgency, with no signs of infection. What I DID have was a week of so of back/flank pain (and a little nausea) prior to the bladder pain. The stone doesn't have to lacerate the bladder, it may only be acting as an irritant which the bladder is trying to expell, hence the pain. I did have MAJOR bladder pain/cramping and only has traces of RBCs in my urine.

As for the ovaries, I've had two major cyst ruptures and many, many other minor ones. I never experienced any type of bladder symptoms with them, if anything I felt like I needed a good poop.

[REP]

10. Heh

I've had over 150 kidney stones, and this hurts more than a usual kidney stone. It is possible for the stone to get trapped in the bladder and cause lacerations, which would account for the trace RBC on dipstick.

I've also had a cyst rupture. This doesn't hurt as much as that.

The cysts are mainly on the left, and yes the do mimic kidney symptoms.

[roguevalley]

13. go to a specialist.

that will put your mind at ease. There are many kinds. Some are always benign. I can't remember what they are called. Post the name of yours if they told you. I would know it if I saw it. Get some
peace of mind. See a specialist. :)

[REP]

14. Can't - It's Sunday and Phone Triage Wants Me To Go To the ER

I guess I didn't make it clear that I just want to know if cysts can cause bladder pain. Not if that's what I have - just in general.